NHL Trade Buzz: Red Wings, Yzerman stay patient ahead of Deadline

Welcome to the NHL Trade Buzz. There are five days remaining until the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline on Monday at 3 p.m. ET, and NHL.com has all the important news, rumblings and analysis heading toward the deadline.
Here's a look around the League at the latest deadline doings:

Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings president Chris Ilitch expressed confidence in general manager Steve Yzerman but preached patience.
The Red Wings (15-43-4) are last in the NHL. Yzerman became general manager on April 19, 2019, after they missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs three seasons in a row, and this will be his first trade deadline as their GM.
"He hasn't had an opportunity to make an incredible impact, because it's only been months," Ilitch said Tuesday.
"But I think his first draft was successful. He's trying to make moves to make our team better and to really create an environment where a lot of our young players can continue to develop, and I know his strategy is to continue to acquire NHL-caliber talent."
Ilitch said Yzerman was focused on building through the NHL Draft. Yzerman no doubt would like to stockpile draft picks before the deadline. The question is how much other teams want what he has to offer.
"From my viewpoint, he's doing an excellent job," Ilitch said. "He's very early in his role, but I think Steve is a professional. He's proven. He knows what to do in his role. He's executing that plan. I think now it's on all of us to exhibit patience, because these things take time."

Toronto Maple Leafs

After announcing forward Andreas Johnsson had knee surgery and
is expected to need six months
, the Maple Leafs acquired forward Denis Malgin in a trade from the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.
Johnson had 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 43 games for Toronto this season. Malgin had 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 36 games this season for Florida.
Malgin had trouble making an impact offensively on a team that ranks fifth in the NHL in goals per game (3.44). The question is whether the 23-year-old will flourish now on a team that ranked third in the NHL in goals per game (3.48). He played with Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2015-16, and his NHL career highs in goals (11), assists (11) and points (22) came in 51 games in 2017-18.
The Panthers received forward Mason Marchment, a 24-year-old with one assist in four NHL games.

Pittsburgh Penguins

General manager Jim Rutherford sees the Penguins as serious Stanley Cup contenders, and they might not be done adding after acquiring forward Jason Zucker in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 10.
The Penguins will decide whether to add a defenseman after receiving updates on the health of Brian Dumoulin and John Marino near the end of the week,
Rutherford told NHL.com.
Dumoulin had ankle surgery on Dec.1. Marino had facial surgery on Feb. 10.
Rutherford said the Penguins could add a forward if they find someone who could give them more balance in their top 12 but are not interested in trading one of their goalies: Tristan Jarry, Matt Murray or Casey DeSmith.
"The best thing I've heard in hockey is if you don't have a goalie, that's when you realize the importance of a goalie," said Rutherford, a former NHL goalie.
The Penguins (37-15-6) are first in the Metropolitan Division and 7-2-1 in their past 10 games.
"This team will be one of the contenders," Rutherford said. "You don't know how things will go when you get to the playoffs. It's a long run. It's a tough run. It's a run of breaks. But the Penguins are just as capable of winning as any other team in the League right now."

St. Louis Blues

The Blues could add an elite scorer: Vladimir Tarasenko. The forward hasn't played since dislocating his left shoulder Oct. 24 but practiced with the Blues on Wednesday for the third time in two weeks.
General manager Doug Armstrong said Tuesday the Blues would have to maneuver to add a forward because of the NHL salary cap. But there will be no need if they think Tarasenko, who had surgery Oct. 29, can stick to the original recovery timeline of 5-6 months.
"He's doing well and progressing and hopefully, whether it's early March, mid-March, end of March, early April, that will be our great acquisition for forwards at the deadline," Armstrong said.
The Blues (33-17-10) are tied with the Dallas Stars and one point ahead of the Colorado Avalanche for first place in the Central Division and Western Conference. St. Louis plays the Arizona Coyotes at Enterprise Center on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; FS-MW, FS-A, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV).
"Getting [Tarasenko] back, I think our forward group is going to be as stable and strong as it's been in the past here," Armstrong said.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights upgraded their defensemen by acquiring Alec Martinez from the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday for two second-round draft picks.
Martinez doesn add much offensively -- he has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 41 games -- but he should help solidify the Golden Knights, who are allowing 3.00 goals per game, which was tied for 12th in the NHL.
Martinez averaged 21:31 of ice time for Los Angeles this season, second to defenseman Drew Doughty (25:50), and should be able to pair with any of Vegas' defensemen.
He is smart, poised, competitive and experienced. The 11-year veteran has played 64 Stanley Cup Playoff games and was a key part of the Kings' 2012 and 2014 championship teams, scoring the overtime goal that clinched the Stanley Cup in 2014 in Game 5 of the Final against the New York Rangers.
He is also signed through next season, so he isn't an end-of-season rental.